F18 Strike-Fighter

The F18 is the front line aircraft for the US Navy. The F18 has replaced the F-14 for air superiority and ground attack missions. The F18 is a single and two seat, twin engine, twin tail, carrier based aircraft.

While I have flown the F18 only once, I did fly the F-14 for ten years and conducted numerous missions with the F18 in mixed sections. A combined F-14 and F18 section had the advantage of the F-14’s superior long-range radar and the medium PRF radar for close in air-to-air combat in the F18. In 2006 the F-14 had its last flight and the F18 became the sole air superiority fighter in the arsenal of the US Navy. Flying the F-14 was the greatest experience of my life and inspired me to write West of the Rock. Everyone dreams of what it  would be like to fly a fighter off an aircraft carrier and I wrote this book to illuminate what this life is like.

This book gives a rare, illuminating look into the elite world of Navy pilots and aircraft like the F18. In a series of powerful and often harrowing narratives, the I present their life trajectories, from looking up in awe at the power and glory of warplanes like the F18, facing the ordeals of even “routine” landings at night on a pitching carrier deck, interacting with the comparatively unremarkable world of civilians, and reaching the point they no longer have the edge needed to be fighter pilots.  Whether flying the F18 or the F-14, the life was a world few could imagine. You could possibly fly the F18 some day or read this book now. After reading it, you’ll want to fly the F18 tomorrow.

Want to know what it’s like to fly an F18? Get your copy of West of the Rock today!